Breathe Me
by Lunatastic
Summary: He took her when she was small and has kept her ever since. But after her captor makes the mistake of a lifetime, Bella is able to escape into the woods surrounding her prison. And they find her, as they were always meant to. AU with Jasper/Bella/Edward/Emmett (no cullen incest), Rosalie/Alice, and Carlisle/Esme. M for abuse, non-con, and later lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Breathe Me

**Summary: **He took her when she was small and has kept her ever since. But after her captor makes the mistake of a lifetime, Bella is able to escape into the woods surrounding her prison. And they find her, as they were always meant to. AU with J/B/E/E (no incest), R/A, and C/E. M for abuse, non-con, and later lemons.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight. Unfortunately.

**Warnings: **There is non-con (though not described only mentioned), physical abuse, and lemons, though they will be much later in the story. Also a multi-person and lesbian relationship. You have been warned, so if you don't like it, don't read it. I don't need any flamers please.

**A/N: **So, first fic that I've posted on fanficton dot com. I'm very excited and want to thank you for visiting and reading my first chapter. Hope you enjoy.

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><p><span>Chapter 1: Leaving<span>

The concrete floor was cold. It leached the heat from her body as she laid there. She was usually prone to shivering, but her body was completely still as she gathered herself. He left the door open. The light streaming from the crack shattered her vision as she basked in it. She could _run_. She could be gone in five minutes. She knew he wasn't there. The front door had slammed ten minutes ago and the car was turned on and gone with a quick rumble of the engine. She hoped he crashed and killed himself. She'd watched earlier as he had consumed the bottle of Jack, and then half of another, as the light amber rivulets ran down his throat. When it dripped onto the floor she'd been ready with a rag to clean it up. He had still screamed at her and punished her; she was sure her ring finger was broken and the print of his boot permanently etched into her hand. She could still remember his laugh as he ground his boot harder into her foot, as he heard the hitch in her breath as she tried not to scream.

Her ribs creaked as she sat up, the rest of her body shouting for her to just lay there, to not risk even more retaliation for her existence. But he was gone. She could make it. Even if it killed her. Maybe it _would_ kill her.

The bare soles of her feet scraped the dirty ground and her fingernails screeched against the wall, ripping and cracking them further. Her knee knocked against the wood paneling and she wanted to scream as her bruises pounded harder, the blood close to bursting from her skin. But she continued to pull herself up, to fight.

Bella huffed her breaths as she stumbled towards the doorway. She grasped the shiny golden doorknob tightly; the locks did not rattle as they usually did when she jiggled it. She gave it a rough pull and fell on the stairs when she lost balance. It seemed as if the house stood with her tonight; the third stair up did not screech loudly as per usual and the door has swung open on silent hinges. As silly as it may have been, she thanked it silently as she continued to struggle up the steps, tears leaking from her eyes and quiet sobs escaping from her throat as she did. It did not matter that he was not there. She still felt his presence, his breath against her neck, his hands against her skin, the needle that he inserted in her veins, drawing out her blood to make her weaker, to make him stronger. She knew that he drank it, like the psychopath he was.

Her soft but harsh cries were the only thing that broke the silence. Bella bit her lips harshly to stop herself from making noise. She paused, willing her hearing to stretch. She crept further into the room, stepping off the stairs, arms clutching her abdomen and head low. Her breath stilled in her chest as she stood in the doorway. The glass was still scattered around the room, the pieces near the table bloodied. Bella fingered her scalp, wincing at the cuts and scabs she found there.

She froze as she set her eyes on the front door. He had forgotten to lock that too. Was this all a trick? A way to further justify his punishments? Because, Bella knew, she _knew _that if he ever caught her trying to escape he would kill her. It would be a drawn out torture, maybe worse than the other ones she'd had before, and she wouldn't survive it. Even on the off chance her heart kept beating, she wouldn't survive it.

She stepped lightly onto the front porch. The rough, cobbled stones dug deeply into her feet and she wished for shoes. She couldn't remember that last time she'd worn a pair of shoes. The fresh air caressed her lungs as she gulped it in gratefully, but she was still aware that he could come back at any moment.

Bella shuffled her feet down the three steps leading away from the house and into the woods. She knew that there were no houses for miles, that he wouldn't have allowed any possibility of help for her. So what chance did she have? Did she really want to leave? The house loomed behind her and the door slammed shut from a sudden wind. She shivered. Her thin t-shirt and cotton sleep shorts offered her little protection.

She stepped off of the porch. The dirt of the forest was much softer than the cobbled steps. It welcomed her and she dug her toes into it. The woods called to her, beckoned her, and a swift panic set in. She was wasting time. She could enjoy the dirt when she was safe, when she was anywhere but here. She didn't know if it was her ears tricking her, but as Bella heard the faint rumble of a car engine, adrenaline coursed through her, making her ignore her pain.

She took off into the trees, stumbling over roots and falling onto logs. The points of the pine trees ripped into her cheeks and arms. Twigs tangled in her hair. Her ribs groaned as her breathing grew ragged from exertion. She didn't have the energy for this. She would kill herself. But what did it matter? She ran and ran, unstoppable. Had she seen that log before? Maybe she was going in circles. Maybe this had been a bad idea. He was certainly going to kill her if he found her. No, _when _he found her.

Then she saw lights. Moving lights. She sprinted towards them, coming to a break in the trees. She couldn't stop running. Her wide, startled eyes met bright headlights as her bare feet met pavement. The sleek black car swerved quickly around her and squealed to a stop about fifty yards away. Her heart stilled in her chest as a man stepped out of the car; he was tall like him, and lean like him. And the car was black, like his. Bella didn't notice that it was a different make and model; all she could see was him advancing and, in her peripherals, the two others that followed him out of the car.

Bella'd been caught. He was going to kill her. Maybe play around with her a little bit before he did. Maybe he would let the others have a go. Maybe they had a penchant for blood like him too. She could already imagine his red eyes boring into hers, corners lifted by a smile that was formed out of her pain and his maliciousness. Maybe he would finally use his teeth to rip into her arm or throat instead of the sterile needle he was always so fond of.

"_No!" _Bella finally screamed, startling him and the men with him. She had only meant to shout at herself, to push herself to run, but she knew that she had little time. She crossed the pavement on somewhat light feet, considering the condition she was in. Her lungs ached and her ribs came loose from their positions, making her head pound with the lack of oxygen and agony.

The branches were ripping at her again, trying to stop her from getting away. The universe was no longer on her side. It wanted her to be caught, to be killed. If there was a god he was hearing her cries and deciding to ignore her. Maybe hell would be the better end of the deal; he had always told Bella that she would end up there, after all.

Bella crumpled to the forest floor as an icy hand caught her shoulder. She knew now that it was him. His skin had always been unnaturally cold when he touched her; he had held himself to her bare body for hours upon hours once, as if her stiff cotton pad and the concrete floor weren't good enough. She'd been rewarded with the a subtle hint of frostbite. After was the first time he had bathed her; the water had been scalding and burned her skin, leaving her with light scaring across her body.

Those cold hands helped her turn over before she managed to push them away, scrambling back so her back hit a tree. She was surrounded. One held a flash light in his hand, standing directly in front of her. He was a hulking mass above her, every inch of him broad and muscled. His hair was covered by a backwards baseball cap. He could probably snap her with the strength he possessed in his thumb and pointer finger. The one to her left was shorter, with what she could tell to be long curly hair and a more lean, but still thoroughly muscled disposition to his body. As she looked into his eyes she felt calm push into her system, at war with her adrenaline and panicked emotions. And the last, the one she had assumed to be _him_, was standing to her right. He was the same height as the one to her left, but even more lean. He wasn't skinny, no not at all, but he gave off the aura of a slinking cat, ready to pounce or race at any moment.

_He_ may not be there, but that didn't mean the lot of them were any more safe for her. "I'll fight you. I swear to god I will." Bella whispered fearfully. Her eyes flicked to theirs and she was surprised none of them chuckled. They all held creased, worried, even horrified emotions in their faces. Why? Why would the feel that way? Maybe he had hired them and they were afraid that they wouldn't be able to bring her back soon enough? Or that they couldn't return he alive? "I _will _die before I go back to him."

"You're not going to die tonight." The one to her left said, advancing a couple of steps closer. Bella tried to become one with the tree and her body rebelled against her, curling in on itself without her permission. "You need to come with us. We can help you." He crouched down beside her and she felt familiarity and trust flood her body, causing her to lean into the offered arm of support. And he was cold, so cold, but she couldn't care at this point. The adrenaline high had come crashing down. She wanted to fight her emotions, to gain back her sense of fear; that had been the emotion to save her from one too many beatings, not _trust_. "We can keep you safe."

"No. No!" She murmured with gentle urgency, fighting weakly as he picked her up. She cried out in pain when her body seized against his hold.

"Bro, be careful!" She heard the giant one hiss to him. But being careful didn't matter anymore with her. She was either going to die or go back to him. Tears began to leak from her eyes and she sobbed softly.

"Shh, Bella. Try to sleep darlin'."

"You'll take me back. You're going to take me back. He hired you, I know he hired you. He'll never stop. He'll keep me until I... how do you know my name?" Fear gripped her before it was shouted down by trust and the feeling of safeness once again. Bella had never told _him_ her name and he had never cared enough to find out. She had only been referred to as "pet" during the time he decided to spend with her. So how did these men know what it was?

Her head lolled back to meet the last one's eyes. They were golden and from what light shone on him, she could tell that his hair had a coppery tint to it and was incredibly untamed. Her body swung softly as the man holding her began to walk slowly so not to startle her. "It doesn't matter now. Please just try and sleep. We promise to not try anything or harm you in any way." And for some odd reason, Bella believed him. It may be the unwelcome emotions coming from unknown source, but Bella didn't think so. He had an honesty in his eyes. As she looked to the others she could detect the same protection and honesty from them.

"Please..." Bella wasn't able to finish her sentence before sleep was loaded into her brain. Everything went dark as her eyes slipped shut and she drifted off peacefully.

The men were silent as they walked back to the car at human speed. They were wary of going any faster in fear that it would wake Bella, though plenty of tiredness has been pushed to her to let her sleep for hours. A very small, pixie-like person was waiting for them next to a convertible, now parked next to the men's. She was vibrating with anxiousness and gasped when she saw Bella in his arms.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Not like _this_! I didn't see it! How did I not see it?!" She rubbed her temples furiously with tiny hands while a tall, beautiful blonde stepped from the convertible and placed her arms around her. She stroked the pixie's hair and kissed her forehead lightly. "You can't see everything Alice. You can't blame yourself for this. And humans are so fragile. It's not surprising that this happened."

Alice broke away from her embrace and approached the men. "Don't be mad at Rosalie. She doesn't understand yet." Alice answered cryptically to the glares they were sending Rosalie. "I'm so sorry, Jasper, Edward, Emmett. I didn't see... this is my fault. I should have known." Her voice cracked and Alice let out a dry sob.

Edward wrapped her in a tight hug at her words. "I don't blame you Alice. _We _don't blame you. And I would know." He winked and Alice giggled quickly at this humor before becoming solemn once again.

"Carlilse is worried. He wants to see her as soon as possible. And Esme is going out of her mind." Alice sighed and appeared in the passenger seat of the convertible, foregoing the doors and seatbelt. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper did the same, forgetting the human façade for a moment. Edward drove rapidly back to the house. Jasper still held Bella in his arms, careful of her injuries, and kept control of her emotions in the back with Emmett stroking her hair. After so long Emmett just needed to feel her, know that she was tangible. Alice had told them about her long ago, but they'd never expected to find her like this. So lost. So broken.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Emmett asked, sounding like a small child.

"We have her now. We'll make everything okay." Edward said reverently, glancing back at the girl held in his brother's arms.

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><p><strong>AN: **Well, that was an exciting first chapter! I really enjoyed writing it and I would like to know people's opinions before I continue. Future chapters may be longer than this, but will at least be the same size. Thanks for reading and please drop a review for me.

~Lunatastic


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Bella woke alone. The world around her was hazy, confusing, and painful. The hot sheets gripped her tightly and her mouth was full of cotton balls, the tang of vein injected medicine tangible in the back of her throat. Her bones felt compressed; they throbbed in time with her heart. The bruises forming across her battered body grew darker as her heartbeat picked up, pushing blood through her hurriedly. The throbbing grew to rapid pace, becoming a drawn out note of agony. She wanted to scream, to shout, but all she could manage was a quiet whimper, though it was enough to alert the others in the house to her struggle. She twisted herself halfway out from the sheets, tangling her abdomen and knees in the fabric before it was suddenly ripped away, letting her overheated body still and allowing the air to swirl around it.

Soft murmurs filled the room and cold hands wiped the sweat off of her forehead, instantly reminding Bella of _him_, but at the same time not. These hands, where his had been rough with her, were gentle. They stroked her temples with long piano fingers, cooling her fevered skin. Another set of hands caressed her shoulder, tracing over each scar and freckle lovingly. These hands were larger; they swallowed her left hand after trailing quickly over her arm, pausing briefly over each bruise they found there. They kneaded the tense muscles, carefully avoiding her broken finger. And the last pair of hands, which Bella found to feel the most weathered and worked, rested on top of her bent knees. Fingers extended further down her thighs, meeting the fabric of her shorts there. Thumbs smoothed over mottled skin and tender bones. All of these hands comforted instead of harmed, soothed instead of attacked. This realization squelched the panic that had begun to rise within Bella. She did not know why, but she trusted these hands, felt a small, but growing, connection to them.

Pain broke through as more hands prodded her ribs. But these hands were not familiar or trusted. Bella cried out and shied away into the comfort of the hands on her left. One large hand covered the offended area gently, the icy temperature instantly dulling the pain. Growls filled the room, followed by an exasperated sigh. "Boys, I need to give her a thorough examination now that she has begun to wake. It would be better if there were still some light sedatives and pain medication in her system while I did. It would spare Bella pain and energy if there were." From what Bella could understand, she got the impression that these words were said for her benefit more than the others.

Bella winced as her eyes cracked open slightly. The lights were dimmed quickly, allowing her to see more. The bed she was in was placed in the center of the room, allowing her to be surrounded. But oddly, and to her chagrin, she didn't feel threatened here. Not by these golden eyed men who, now that she wasn't running and full of adrenaline, offered her a sense of safety she couldn't remember feeling before. The oddest sensation filled Bella when her eyes met theirs; it was like string had been tied around her heart and attached to each of these men. She felt like crying when she found emotions she didn't recognize but could still understand within their eyes.

"Hi." She whispered to the one who was still rubbing her temples with his long piano fingers. Bella's voice was thick and cracked uncomfortably, but it didn't stop him from smiling.

"Hi." His voice was soft and honeyed. It soothed Bella's frayed nerves. "I'm Edward." The lines of his face held a confused puzzlement and concentration. She didn't really notice when his gaze moved from hers to concentrate on her forehead, as if he had found the world's biggest mystery there.

"Edward." She repeated finally and quietly. The name was soft on her tongue.

"Hey, stop hogging her." A deep, bass voice teased. Bella turned towards the source and felt a small trickle of fear when she remembered that they knew her name and she had never told them. It was quickly fought off, by herself and, unknowingly to Bella, Jasper's ability, but the thought still stood in the back of her mind, waiting to be answered.

"I'm Emmett." His face did not match the rest of him. It was more rounded where the rest of him was hard, and reminded her of a time before she was taken. "And the creeper down by your feet is Jasper." The man that Emmett had so graciously introduced took a spare moment to glare at him, but flicked his eyes back to Bella. His eyes, though so similar to the others', held more history, a greater story to tell. It was surprising; _his _eyes had never held a story. They had only held maliciousness and lust, and sometimes a hunger that Bella could never begin to understand.

"Thank you so much for that introduction Emmett. And it wasn't me who was sitting outside of the room for the past twelve hours refusing to move or let Carlilse in."

"Oh we all know you were just down the hall waiting for her to wake up." Emmett moved away from her and leaned playfully towards Jasper, trying to place Bella at ease.

"At least I was discrete about it." Jasper punched Emmett lightly in the shoulder, making Bella wince internally. Their bickering, though strange to Bella, was a welcome distraction from herself.

"Do you want to sit up, Bella?" Edward asked quietly while his two brothers continued to argue in the background. As she nodded her agreement and Edward helped her sit up, the movement brought her injuries back to the forefront of her mind. Nausea swirled in her stomach when her legs were swung over the side of the small bed, causing her to double over; her ribs screamed in protest at the movement. Something was shoved into her hands and she emptied whatever was left in her stomach into it. Someone held her hair back while another whispered soft words into her ear, words that she didn't care about but appreciated nothing less.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." Bella whispered when the bucket was whisked away. She held her arms up against the sides of her head, waiting, just waiting for a punishment. The room was silent except for her labored breaths. Cool, brisk hands gripped her upper arms loosely. _This is it. This is it. I knew that this was too good to be true. _She thought about ways to keep her body from further damage when she was yanked to the floor, to keep her head protected against a well placed kick. As her mates looked at her, they could hear each others' hearts break.

But instead, her arms were brought gently to her sides and fatherly fingers wiped away her tears. Though they were somewhat unwelcome, Bella couldn't find it in herself to pull away. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Bella. If anything, your sickness is to be expected. So please don't apologize." When Bella found it in herself to look up, she was met with the gaze of a kind looking man. His eyes held sunshine and a caring that could be applied to all of his loved ones. His tousled blond hair lent him a somewhat tired disposition, but there was nothing else to indicate that he could feel that way. His face was unlined and his under eyes free of dark circles. But Bella could sense it; this man was tired and worried. But happy. She could sense that within him too.

"I'm Carlisle. The head of this... family." The look on his face when he used the word family amused Bella. "I'm a doctor. I work at the local hospital. I was hoping that you would let me examine you. Your body has gone through quote a lot. It would just be a basic check over." Bella was confused at the choice presented to her. He had never given her choices, only basic commands and instructions.

Apparently, Emmett mistook her hesitance for fear. "You don't have to Bella. Nothing will happen if you don't want it to." He made a movement to stand in front of her before Edward halted him.

"Emmett is right, Bella, but it would be... pertinent for Carlilse to assess your injuries." Shame flashed through Bella when she didn't know what he was trying to say.

"Bella, it isn't your fault what happened to you, if that's what you're thinking." Jasper assured her.

Bella shook her head, not knowing how to explain. "Maybe Bella needs some space. How about you three go help Esme with the garden." Bella's eyes flicked to the doorway, finding a tiny, pixie-like person barely filling it. "But only if that's okay with you, Bella."

Bella nodded her head quickly, not wanting these three strange familiar men in the room while a doctor poked and prodded at her. Guilt formed in her chest when she saw the sad look on the big one's-Emmett's, she reminded herself-face.

"Of course. Bella, don't worry about anything. We'll be happy to give you space if that's what you want." Edward said, murmuring something to Emmett that Bella didn't catch. The three of them vacated the room while the little one traipsed into it, plopping herself down on the bed next to Bella.

"Hi, Bella. I'm Alice. We're going to be the best of friends." Her voice was high and musical, but with no beat. Bella searched for something to compare it to, but couldn't come up with the word. Alice giggled. "Do you like wind chimes, Bella?" She shrugged; even if Bella did, she didn't know what Alice was talking about. "I'll be right back." She whispered conspiratorially. When she was halfway across the room, she called back. "Carlisle would like to come with me, I think."

"What Alice wants, Alice gets." Was all that he offered before Bella was left alone.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Emmett hissed at Alice while she danced down the stairs. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett had been waiting worriedly at the kitchen table for Carlisle to finish examining Bella, only to be confused as Alice stole the doctor away.

"Oh, she's fine for the moment." Her eyes flashed and her face grew sad. "He was always careful to never damage her too much. Only enough to hurt, never enough to kill." Edward placed his face in his hands, Emmett made a dent in the table, and Jasper gripped his hair almost to the point of pulling it out. "You're going to scare her if you do that." Alice said moments before Emmett would've overturned the table. "Not to mention make Esme angry. Now, we're off to find some wind-chimes." She tugged Carlisle to the porch at human speed. "She needs this. Give her at least fifteen minutes." Was all the boys heard before there was the click and purr of an engine starting and pulling out of the driveway.

Bella was frozen for the first two minutes of silence, all of the panic rushing back now that she was alone. She waited for them to come back up and laugh at her, to call her crazy for ever thinking that she was free, that her waking nightmare could be over. She thought that maybe _this _was a dream, and _he _was just waiting for her to wake up. Or that he had hired them to catch her after he gave her the opportunity to escape. They could be _worse_ than him. They had cold hands like him, and hard skin like him. And there were so _many_. They could do the same things to her and with all of them watching her, she would never be able to leave like she had with him.

All of the possibilities ran through her head, making it ache and pound worse that her ribs. She tripped slightly when she stepped off the bed, her ankle groaning beneath her. She steadied her weight on her left foot while she braced her hands on the bed. The flash of metal caught her eye at the end of the bed. Bella was surprised to find there what she had used to get around after she broke her leg when she was nine. "Crutches." She was startled to speak out loud. It had been so long since she formed real words besides the occasional "Hello" when he demanded it of her.

They wouldn't leave her crutches if they wanted to keep her locked up, would they?

_No_. Bella decided. _No, they would not_.

She hopped over to them slowly, still waiting for people to pop out and laugh at her. It was hard at first, maneuvering around on the slightly too tall crutches. Bella did a couple of laps around the room, learning how to be steady. It was slow and ever-painful, but she had learned how to push pain to the back of her mind out of necessity, so it didn't take her long to build up the courage to stumble over to the doorway.

Thick white carpet covered all of what she could see of the upstairs. The outer wall was floor to ceiling windows, revealing the dreary weather outside. _All the better to watch me even when I'm outside_. She said to herself before she shook the thought. They would probably never let her outside anyway.

Her heart beat rapidly when she reached the stairs, filling the house with her scent. The boys sitting at the table grew tense. Not out of blood lust, but out of worry of whether or not the girl that was theirs would further injure herself by trying to be independent.

_But Alice said she needed this_. Edward thought to himself. Her mind had been confusing; he didn't know whether to be angry or just mildly annoyed that Alice was trying to throw him off of Bella's future. But if she didn't want him to know then it couldn't be that bad, right?

"I can't just fucking sit here." Emmett said angrily while he stood and let the chair fall back against the floor.

"Alice said that she needed this!" Jasper said, racing to block his path to Bella.

"She never _specified_ just _what _Bella needed, did she?" Emmett shoved at Jasper's shoulders. Tense anger flooded the room, reaching Bella, now halfway down the stairs, and causing Jasper to taste her confusion and small spark of panic. "And why the fuck don't _you two _want to help? We've loved her for so long and now she's finally here!" His deep voice, previously at a volume only Edward and Jasper could hear, finally reached Bella, though the words were jumbled and too fast for her ears.

"You don't think all I want to do is dig a fucking tunnel and hide her in it until she's changed! Or build a steel house where nobody can find her and just stay there? I can feel _everything, _Emmett! She's scared and confused and in _pain_. You don't think that hurts me too? I want to rip my heart out so I don't have to _care _anymore." Jasper, feeling Bella's panic at the emotions that weren't hers took hold of her body, finally reigned himself in. "I love her." He whispered, just for their ears. "Just as much as you."

"Hey." Both turned to look at Edward, thinking he was calling to them. But instead found him staring at a small, bruised, determined girl leaning heavily on her crutches. They stared at her for a moment, with Bella staring straight back.

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><p><strong><span>AN:** Well hello all. First, I want to say thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favorited, and followed Breathe Me. I was so excited every time my phone showed new emails. All of you authors reading this know what I'm talking about. Second, I want to let you know that all updates are going to take about the same time that this one did. I'm in school and have a really heavy schedule right now. A week to ten days is going to be my update time, maybe with some occasional faster updates on breaks. I'm sorry that it will take that long, but my education comes first! Third, I know this chapter may seem a little filler-y to some people, but I thought it was important because it begins to establish some character personalities and introduces Bella to the Three Musketeers AKA her big, dorky, overprotective vampire mates! Okay, that's all I wanted to say, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please drop me a review, they keep me going and honestly make me write faster. Until next time!

~Lunatastic


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